Energy & Fuel

"Oil drilling has sparked a frenzied prosperity in Jeff Keller's formerly quiet corner of western North Dakota in recent years, bringing an infusion of jobs and reviving moribund local businesses. But Keller, a natural resource manager for the Army Corps of Engineers, has seen a more ominous effect of the boom, too: Oil companies are spilling and dumping drilling waste onto the region's land and into its waterways with increasing regularity."

"LONDON -- The price of oil fell to below $83 a barrel on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave no hint that the central bank is planning stimulus measures to revive a faltering recovery."

"BAGHDAD -- Despite sectarian bombings and political gridlock, Iraq’s crude oil production is soaring, providing a singular bright spot for the nation’s future and relief for global oil markets as the West tightens sanctions on Iranian exports."

"As the climate gets warmer, so do the rivers and lakes that power plants draw their cooling water from. And that is going to make it harder to generate electricity in decades to come, researchers report."

"In an article in the journal Nature Climate Change, scientists measured temperatures now and projected what they would be at midcentury. The temperatures vary according to the time of year, and, even if the extremes remain similar, they will be more frequent -- meaning that the water will be too warm to allow full power production, they predict.

"U.S. crude oil futures fell on Friday for the fourth day in a row, hitting their lowest levels in nearly eight months and extending losses to a fifth week, as weak U.S. jobs data, soft Chinese manufacturing and the deepening euro zone crisis sparked a broad market selloff. "